


All Revved Up

by xaphrin



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: F/M, cyrae, mechanic AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-09-03
Packaged: 2018-04-09 06:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4337279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xaphrin/pseuds/xaphrin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were friends, co-workers, roommates, but never anything more than that. At least that's what they both assumed - that their relationship just stopped at being those things alone. Neither one of them realized how the other felt, and that proved to be a dangerous situation for both of them. Dangerous, but not bad. (Mechanic AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Raven stared down into the engine and cursed under her breath, wrapping her fingers tightly around the wrench in her hand. She had taken it apart three times and put it back together perfectly, and in spite of everything she had looked at, it _still_ wouldn’t turn over. It just sat there, completely dead, waiting for her to quit, and she was so tempted to just throw her hands up and walk away, cursing the vehicle gods and everything they touched. Throwing her wrench into her toolbox, she walked away from the old Studebaker to the fridge in the corner of the shop.

Victor looked up at her from his spot at the table, where he was going over the receipts of the day and balancing the books, and offered a soft, apologetic smile. His eyes were bright and warm, little flecks green catching the thin, fluorescent light in the shop. He ran his thumb over the curve of his jaw and leaned back against the chair looking up at her, but saying absolutely nothing. After all, he knew better than to poke the bear when she was riled up like this.

Raven crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, feeling her heart jump and skip under the sight of his curious stare. She swallowed the anger and ferocity bubbling up in her throat and stood against the fridge, letting him watch her with that dark stare that said nothing and everything at the same time. A full minute passed between them, the grainy sound of Tab Benoit filling the silence from the radio on the other side of the shop, all the while Victor’s stare never left her own. He licked his lips and with a knowing expression, he finally chanced a few words.

“Everything okay?” He put his pen down into the pages of the ledger, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “For a second there, you looked like you were about to rip the side-view mirrors off of the car.”

“It’s just… _ugh_.” Raven knocked her knuckles against the steel fridge door and continued to glare at the pale green Studebaker like it was laughing at her. Setting her jaw, her stare turned back to Victor’s warm stare and she sighed. “I have tried practically _everything_ with that stupid, idiotic engine, and I cannot get it to fucking turn over. I don’t know what I’m missing!” She wiped at the curve of her cheek, undoubtedly leaving a smear of grease over her skin. She grabbed a bottle of water and chugged half of it quickly before looking back at his soft smile and sighing.

Victor snorted into the back of his hand and leaned back against his chair. A long moment passed between them as he watched her for a second, his eyes showing that he was going through the mental checklist he usually did when something wasn’t working right. His distraction gave Raven the opportunity to look over him, noticing a bit of grease next to his left eye. She felt a strange desire bubble up inside her, and she wanted to reach out and wipe the smear away, trailing her fingers over the curve of his face before leaning in and-

“Did you check the battery?”

Raven jerked, praying he couldn’t see the blush staining her cheeks. “What?”

“Did you check the battery?” He repeated, his mouth pulling into a smile.

“Of course I checked the battery! It was fully charged this morning.”

“Mm.” He nodded and tapped a finger on the table. “And the connections?”

Raven’s eyes grew wide and she took a step back, processing things in her head for a long moment before she let out a surprised noise of annoyance, dropping the water bottle in her hands onto the counter. She groaned and pushed at her hair, feeling absolutely ridiculous in front of him, she should have known better. “Oh my god, you’re right. I forgot to check the connections and I know there was a bad wire that needed work and… jeez, I’m such an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot, Rae. Don’t say that about yourself. You’re one of the best mechanics I know.” His teasing smile quickly turned into an annoyed frown as he watched her for a moment longer. Sighing, he closed the ledger in front of him and stood up. “You’re just too tired, it’s almost two in the morning, and you’ve been working on that beast almost the entire day… You’re worn out, and I worked you too hard today.”

Raven took another few, long gulps of her water, avoiding his stare. She couldn’t tell him that the whole reason she’d worked an eighteen hour shift was because she got to be next to him. Being next to Victor was… _easy_. He kept conversation light and playful, and he always knew what to do and how to help her out, and he was fun to be around. If she clocked out when she was supposed to go home, she’d just sit there on the sofa, surrounded by all of his things, and she’d just want to come back here again. Raven might as well skip that step all together and be with him at the shop. So what if it was more work?

“Look, you’re exhausted, I’m tired of looking at these stupid numbers, and that Studebaker can wait another day… I think, maybe it’s time for us to head back to the apartment. Let’s call it a night, and we’ll worry about not finishing in the morning. Okay?”

Raven blushed and finished that last bit of her water slower, trying not to let him see her thoughts through her stare. She swallowed and flicked her eyes up to meet his own. “Promise it’s not a big deal?”

“Rae…” Victor smiled and leaned forward towards her, gathering her small form into his massive arms and resting his chin on her head. “Of course it’s not a big deal. I’m your co-worker, not your slave-driver. You’ve put in too much work already today, and I have to make you work just as much tomorrow. I feel like I’m working you too hard, girl.”

Unable to speak against the emotions coursing through her, Raven just shook her head, closing her eyes and taking in the scent of him. Victor smelled of Old Spice and engine grease, and she found herself pulling closer to him, her fingers tightening in the front of his coveralls. Underneath the blue fabric, his muscles tensed and bulged, and she could feel the edge of a scar over his chest, the one she saw sometimes when he walked around the apartment shirtless.

Her bottom lip trembled a little at the memory of him _shirtless_.

“I promise, no work on Saturday. _None_. You can sleep in all day, and I will make you waffles for dinner. Sound good?”

She just nodded.

“Good. It’s a deal then.”

He kissed the top of her head in a friendly, almost teasing fashion and watched as Raven’s cheeks burned brightly. He had to see how embarrassed she was...didn’t he? Didn’t he see how she was falling apart under him? No. Of course not. He was completely oblivious to the way she felt. With a playful ruffle to her hair, he seemed completely unaware of her curious, wide-eyed stare and started for the shop floor.

“Come on, girl… let’s get this place closed up and get both of us _home_ and _in bed_.”

“Y-yeah. I’ll be right… there.” She nodded slowly, making sure he couldn’t see as she touched the spot he had kissed, her blush darkening even more. What in the world was she doing? And why was she just letting it happen?

She sighed and threw her water bottle away, eyes lifting to the ceiling. Lord help her, she felt like she was drowning in him, and she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to come up for air.

-

Raven’s eyes drifted open as early morning light streamed through her blinds and bathed her pillow. Letting go of a deep breath, she stared at the white ceiling for a moment, listening to the quiet mumblings of Victor as he shuffled around in the kitchen. He was making a list of the things they needed to work on today: the Studebaker, the Bell-aire, and he was pretty sure that one of their regular clients was going to drop off a Shelby later this afternoon for them to tune up. It was a lot for the two of them, and they were a little over-booked, but it was nothing that they couldn’t handle. Besides, he _had_ promised her Saturday off. She shifted, rolling on her side and looking over at the clock. It was another ten minutes before her alarm went off reminding her that her life still existed outside of this quiet moment.

This was supposed to be a temporary place for her, just until she could save up enough money to move out and get her own apartment. At least, that was what she told herself three months ago. Vic was kind enough to let her crash here for a bit, and she really needed to let him get back to his own life. She had finally saved enough for a few months rent and a place of her own not too far away.  

But…

“You gonna sleep all day, Rae?”

Raven’s eyes slid closed and she heard him outside her door, fingers tapping on the wood frame as he chuckled. The sound was playful and sweet, and something about it warmed her through her stomach to the tips of her toes. She bit back a strange, contented sigh, and pulled the comforter over her head.

“I have at least eight more minutes left before my alarm goes off, Victor, and I have no intention of getting up before it’s time.” She buried her face into her pillow and tried to ignore the way her heart fluttered just a little against her chest. “I will be up and around when my alarm goes off, not a minute sooner.”

“Like every morning.” His laughter reverberated through the early morning air, knocking his knuckles against her door. “Well, alright, Rae. I pulled out your tea and set it on the counter. Don’t be late, we’ve got that Shelby coming this afternoon and it’s gonna take both of us to get it up to speed, plus keep up with the the other things we’ve got on our plate. Okay?”

“I will be there at six fifty, on the dot.” She rolled over and faced the door, seeing his shadow block out the little light that was filtering in from underneath the door. “Like always.”

He shuffled a little and hummed, a little remorse clinging to the low tones of his voice. “Well, alright… I’ll have Gar bring us some pastries. How about that?”

Raven picked up her head and pursed her lips, her stomach growling just a little at the thought of Garfield’s pastries. As much as he hated to admit it, he _was_ a pretty talented chef. “ _Strawberry_?”

He laughed. “Strawberry,” he confirmed. “I’ll make sure he brings two this time. Enjoy your six minutes of dozing, Raven.”

“Get to the shop.” Raven let her head fall back onto the pillow and listened to him walk out the door. Silence slipped over her and she rolled onto her back again, staring at the ceiling as her heart continued to skip over her ribs like it was playing hopscotch. She knew that she could have found her own place by now, but what would she _do_ without him? He was _everything_ to her. Her best friend, her co-worker, her… _infatuation_. She was so enamored with him, so utterly and desperately in lov-

Throwing the pillow over her face, she slammed the door closed on that thought, hoping the seed hadn’t taken root yet in her mind, but she knew better. Today was not the first time she had struggled with the thoughts, in fact it wasn’t even the fourth or fifth, she’d been struggling with these thoughts since she moved in with him, and he welcomed her into his life - no questions asked. He was all kindness and smiles and warmth and attention, he cooked and cleaned and listened and… and… there was nothing about him that _didn’t_ practically pull her closer and closer to him.

There was no escape. She had to admit it, at least to herself: Raven was utterly, ridiculously, and irrevocably in love with Victor Stone… and she had _no_ idea what to do about it.

-

“...I’ve got the new game, man. You should come over and play it with me!”

Victor nodded, somehow resisting the urge to mumble “huh?” as he continued to fidget with the intake valve in his hand. He had really been trying to listen to Gar. Really he had. They had been talking about a new video game that he wanted to play, but when he looked up to ask Gar something, his eyes caught sight of Raven, and anything he might have _wanted_ to say seemed to escape him at that very moment. Her petite, little body was currently bent over the Studebaker, legs spread just a little as she raised up on her tip-toes, trying to reach a connection deep under the hood. He licked his lips and felt the question for Gar completely leave his brain as he stared her for a second, resisting the urge to go and help her out. Instead he let himself have the pleasure of watching her for a little bit as Gar continued to prattle on.

“...there are these really cool aliens you have to fight with magic, and you get to go to Venus, and I heard they’re opening a few other worlds in the next few months, like a sky city in Jupiter and…”

Victor let Gar talk, completely oblivious to the fact that Victor had been fidgeting with the intake valve for the past few minutes, repeating the same inspection over and over. He cocked his head to the side as Raven practically bent herself in half, cursing under her breath and reaching for the connection. He really, _really_ hated to look at her like this. He was a grown man, not some horny teenager who couldn’t control his emotions. He should have been fully capable of controlling his urges around Raven and not ogling her like she was some kind of _object_.

But, _man_ …

Even in those god-awful, oversized coveralls, Raven was… well, _stacked_. Not in the traditional sense though. No, Raven didn’t have the same build that their friend Kory had, all curves, hips, and legs, but Raven was still undeniably perfect in her own way - sturdy almost. To Victor, she had the most gorgeous body he had ever seen. Victor groaned internally, feeling his conscience start to tug at the back of his thoughts, pulling at him as he watched her dig around in the engine for a little longer. This was his _friend_ , his coworker, his roommate even, Raven was someone he had known for so long, he had forgotten how they actually met. She was _special_ to him… and here he was, eyeing her like she was a pin-up in a dirty magazine.

He felt absolutely ridiculous.   

A few more seconds skipped by until she pulled back, wiping her hands on a rag from the back pocket of her coveralls. She cocked her hip to the side and looked down into the engine, humming a little noise of approval before turning around to look at Victor. Waving, she slammed the hood down and crossed her arms over her chest with a smirk. “Studebaker is done! I fixed the bad connection from last night, so she should run like a dream.”

“Until something else breaks on these things…” Gar shook his head and sighed. “Man, no wonder you two stay in business. You’re always fixing up old beaters.”

“These are classic pieces of automobile history, Gar.” Raven went to the sink and washed her hands, looking over her shoulder at him. “Some of them are relics meant to be preserved.”

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair, dangling a paper bag from his hand. “And some of them are meant to rust for all eternity in the back of some dude’s lawn, Rae. And be nice to me or I won’t share your strawberry turnover with you.”

Victor rolled his eyes and flicked Gar’s ear before snatching the bag out of his hand. “I paid for that, you know. You better share it with her, or I’m going to start walking the extra block and going to Ernie’s.”

Gar looked positively scandalized. “You _wouldn’t_!”

“I _would_. I might even start eating there on _Sundays_.” Ignoring Gar’s irritated look, Victor handed Raven the bag, taking a minute to see that half-smile pull at the corners of her lips as she reached inside. Victor felt his heart pound inside his chest and he pulled his stare away from her, whipping around to stare at Gar instead. He couldn’t look at her right now, because… _Jesus_ , sometimes she was just… _cute_.

Gar stood up, pursing his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest. “ _They_ won’t give you free coffee.”

“Mm… that’s true. And no one makes coffee like you.” He leaned back against the chair and chuckled, reaching for the paper cup in front of him. “And I _would_ miss those strawberry turnovers too… it’ would be a hard move.”

“See? You agree with me, then.” Gar gave a victorious nod. “And that’s what you’ll miss if you go to Ernie’s. Along with my handsome face and all the people in the cafe that know you by name and give you the best service possible. Isn’t that right, Raven? Tell him all the things he would be missing if he went to stupid _Ernie’s_.”

Victor laughed and turned around to make a joke with her, but the words seemed to die on his lips as he caught the sight of Raven licking the glaze from her turnover off the tips of her fingers. She stared at him, eyes wide as she realized exactly _what_ he was seeing: her little, pink tongue curled around her digits like…

 _Well_ , he didn’t want to think too hard about that.

At least not in front of other people.

Those thoughts were better left for moments when he was alone.

Forcing another laugh, and hoping she didn’t see the embarrassment on his face, Victor looked back up at Gar. He was still grinning at him with that ridiculous, smug look on his face, knowing that he had won the argument, and completely oblivious to that fact that their friend was licking her fingers with all the tact of… Victor bit back a groan and forced himself to _not_ think about those things anymore. He was already going to find himself in trouble later if he wasn’t careful. Taking a slow breath, he downed the rest of his coffee, ignoring the scalding burn and bitter taste, and stood up.   

“I’ve got a Bel-Aire carburetor that needs work, and Dick is coming by with the Shelby later.”

Raven cocked her head to the side. “The Mustang or the Cobra?”

“Mustang this time.” Victor rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at his friends. “He wants to use it to take Kory on some classic backwoods road trip to all those weird attractions like the biggest ball of yarn or those weird plaster dinosaurs in the middle of nowhere.”

“Or Cadillac Ranch?” Gar supplied with a grin

“Yeah.” Victor snorted and moved to his tool box. “Apparently he thinks it’s cute. I think it’s kind of dumb, but it’s his car.”

“I don’t know…” Raven reached into the bag and pulled out her second turnover with a small smile, not quite meeting either of her friends’ stares. “It’s a _little_ cute, I guess. Long trips through the countryside with no plans? Sleeping under the stars when you can’t make it to the next motel because you’re too tired. Bad radio… it sounds a little nostalgic.” Her face flushed and she hastily shoved the turnover in her mouth, as if she was trying to cover up the things she had just said with food.

Victor bit back a chuckle and watched her, a smile pulling at his lips.

“I mean,” Raven mumbled between bites of her turnover. “ _I_ wouldn’t do it… but it sounds like something Kory would like.”

Gar rolled his eyes and grinned at her, a devilish look shining in his eyes. “Come on, admit it, Rae, at heart you’re just a big, sweet, softy.”

She swallowed her bite and lifted an eyebrow, her face cool and calculating. “I have a welding torch at my disposal, and I know how you feel about that Vespa… _don’t_ forget these things.”

He squeaked and took a hasty step toward the door, forcing an apologetic smile as he remembered how _dangerous_ Raven could actually be. “I… uh… think the cafe needs me, so I’m going to get out of here and let you guys do your thing. I’ll see ya on Sunday for breakfast. The special is a Greek omelet.”

“Alright, Gar. We’ll see you then.”

“See ya!” With that he was gone, speeding off down the street and as far away from danger as he could get.

Victor just shook his head and laughed, picking through his tools for his socket wrench. If there was one thing Raven was, it was that she was stronger than she looked. She might have been a tiny, little thing, but _man_ she could pack a punch when she wanted to. Raven was all kinds of dangerous in one, small package. He smirked and looked up from his tools to see her licking her fingers again, lapping that glaze off of them as if it was the most delicious thing in the world.

His face flushed and his body stirred, and Victor found himself completely entranced by her mouth, unable to look away as her lips wrapped around her middle finger and sucked. He swallowed hard, trying to think of all the things he could to keep his mind off… _that_ , but he was shit outta luck, and his mind wandered way too far down the rabbit hole before he could catch himself.  

Yeah, she _was_ all kinds of dangerous wrapped into one tiny package.


	2. Chapter 2

 

Raven woke the next morning to the sounds of the television on in the living room - some monster movie playing low but still enough to wake her from slumber. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and listened to Victor’s soft swearing mingling with the knocking of tools and the television. Taking a slow, deep breath, she lifted her eyes and stared at the ceiling, watching the fan spin around her head as the calm morning seemed to sink into her bones and drain her of anything that felt _wrong_. Here, in this room, in Victor’s apartment, she felt like everything was right - perfect almost - and it was easy to see herself staying here, in this place. A smile tugged at her lips and she pulled the blankets up to her chin, her mind trying to piece together how she had gotten home last night.

It was late, she remembered that much at least. In fact, it had been probably four in the morning when she last remembered being awake. They had been finishing up Dick’s Shelby, it was the last thing they needed to do and then they would be all caught up on their work for the weekend, and she sat down at the table to work on _something_ , and then…

 _Nothing_. She couldn’t remember a single thing after that.

Raven rubbed her forehead and listened to the television in the living room, desperately trying to think about what had happened at the shop. Had she… fallen asleep at the table? With tools in her hand? And how had she gotten home? Had Victor carried her the whole seven blocks home? Did he put her in bed? Oh _god_ that thought was absolutely _mortifying_. Raven worked so hard to prove to everyone (but especially to Victor) that she didn’t need help and that she could take care of herself, but if he saw her so defenseless it would smash the entire image of her that she had built between them.

Gingerly, Raven lifted the comforter and found herself in the clothes she had worn under her coveralls the day before. She blushed brightly and pulled the comforter up over her head, hoping to hide forever from the sheer embarrassment that she had fallen asleep and that he had helped her when she was vulnerable. She shifted a little and big back an annoyed groan. It shouldn’t have been such a big deal that he got her out of her coveralls and put her to bed, after all they _were_ friends. But, something about the fact that he undressed her, even in such a purely innocent way, made her entire body shake with a mixture of embarrassment, excitement, and something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

She heard his curse again and Raven blushed, silently debating on whether or not she could spend the entire day in bed, avoiding him…. probably not. Running her hands through her messy, disorganized hair, she slipped out from under the covers and shed yesterday’s clothes, opting for a tank top and a pair of sweatpants instead. Steeling her emotions, she opened the door and walked from her room into the living room.

Victor was sitting on the sofa, dressed in nothing more than a pair of shorts and a too-tight tank top, the ragged edges of the scar on his chest pressing against the fabric before webbing out over his right shoulder. His tools were spread out haphazardly over the coffee table as his prosthetic leg sat on his lap. He was currently fidgeting with one of the joints, the curses becoming more and more frequent as he pulled out parts. Raven stood next to the wall for a moment and watched him with a smirk as he continued to readjust the joints with as much precision as his hands would allow.

Raven shook her head and finally spoke up. “What are you doing now?”

With a jerk of surprise, he looked up at her, eyes wide as the leg tumbled onto the floor. He swept his stare down the the length of her and back up to her face, cocking his head to the side. “Feel better after your ten hour nap, Sleeping Beauty?”

“In my defense, you worked me almost twenty hours straight yesterday.” She walked into kitchen and started making tea, watching him over the kitchen island. “I think I deserved a little bit of rest after everything we did.”

“Okay, okay… you’re right, I was wrong, _but_ …” He paused to pick up his leg and set it back into his lap. “...we’re all caught up on work, and we have nothing scheduled for Monday. So, if nothing urgent comes in over the weekend, I promise to close the shop for an extra day and give you a three day weekend. How does that sound?”

Raven turned around and leaned against the counter on the island. His eyes looked almost expectantly up at her, as if there was some kind of excitement shining deep inside him that he couldn’t quite articulate. She fought against a genuine smile and crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow. “I’m sensing there’s an ulterior motive behind this scott-free day off, Vic?”

He forced an awkward, almost apologetic smile. “Two motives, actually. One: Dick and Kory want us and Gar to come out to a picnic today and watch the hot air balloon festival.”

That sounded a bit like Raven’s personal version of Hell, but she wasn’t sure if she minded the thought so much… as long as Victor was there. Chewing on her lower lip, she watched him curse again as he lifted her eyes to his own, looking just a little pathetic. He sighed and set his screwdriver on the coffee table with an air of defeat.

“And two: I need your small hands to get into this joint to lube and adjust it. I haven’t taken a look at it in a while and I think some of the bearings are off.” He held up his hands and sighed again. “My hands are a little too big to get in there the right way.”

Raven’s mind suddenly flashed back to the thought of him placing her carefully over her bed, his strong hands moving almost reverently over her body, fingers flicking open the buttons on her coveralls… Without warning, her face flushed bright red and she stumbled back a bit, swallowing the sudden emotions that were threatening to consume her. Licking her lips, she tried not to imagine the sight of him hovering over her, his dark eyes flecked with green and looking at her as if she were the only woman in the world - she tried _desperately_ not to think of those things.

But it was too late.

“You there, Rae?”

She jerked and nodded quickly, praying he couldn’t see the far-off look in her eyes.  “Y-yeah. I’m here. Picnic. That’s fine. Whatever.”

“Oookay…” He drug out the “oh” a bit, raising his eyebrow as he leaned his elbows on his thighs. A few seconds skipped between them and he continued to watch her, eyes sliding over her form and back to her face. “You’re looking a little flushed and out of breath. I didn’t work you _that_ hard this week, did I? Are you sick? Do I need to take you to a doctor? How’s your pulse? Are you-”

“I’m _fine_.” Raven snapped a bit, trying to control the emotions practically raging a full-out _war_ inside her at that moment. She pushed at her messy hair and took the kettle off the stove, pouring the boiling water into her mug before walking over to where he sat. “I’m just… just thinking about things lately.”

“Things?” He raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Care to elaborate?”

If possible, her cheeks turned a darker shade of red. “I’d rather not.”

She sunk down onto the sofa and took his leg from his lap, the steel cool and smooth over her fingertips. Taking a sip of her tea, she investigated the leg for him, trying to see where the issue was in the ankle joint - that was usually where he managed to agitate the bearings the most. She knew this part of him almost as well as he did by now. After Victor’s accident in high school, he had made his own prosthetic leg with dedicated, almost loving care, tinkering and fidgeting with it until it was more a part of his soul than just a replacement body part.

Of course, Raven had helped a little too. Her fingertips traced the blue flames she had painted a few years ago, feeling a few nicks and dings in the paint and steel. The flames were starting to wear off a little and she smirked, wondering if she should paint some new ones over the steel again. He seemed so excited when she surprised him with it before, she might as well touch them up and make it look new again.

“You’ve got to stop wearing out the ankle joint the way you do, Vic.” She snatched the screwdriver off the coffee table and pulled off one of the steel plates with a bit of a ‘pop’. “You’re going to wear out this joint faster than you wore out the other one and it took us too long to replace this _last_ time.”

He rolled his eyes and leaned back against the sofa. “What’s the point of making a custom leg if I have to baby it?”

“I’m not saying _baby_ it,” Raven scoffed, reaching for the lubricant and getting into the joint, adjusting it with little taps and re-lubing the bearings. “I’m saying don’t be so damn rough on it. If you’re going to start squatting four hundred pounds again, you’re going to break the joints and you know it.” She turned to him and poked the screwdriver in his chest, lifting an eyebrow. “So, start making better choices with your fitness regimen.”

“Alright, alright.” He sighed and rubbed the spot where she had poked him. “Man, you’re brutal sometimes.”

“I’m _honest_ , and you know it.” She went back to fidgeting with the joint, her focus narrowing in as he watched the television, sipping his coffee. Something about this seemed nice, normal almost, and Raven felt herself ease back into relaxation, listening to the television and the soft hums and noises from Victor next to her. It might not have been the most _conventional_ relationship between them, but it was _theirs_ , and that was the only thing that mattered.  

After a long stretch of silence, the air suddenly turned heavy, and Raven could feel him fidgeting. His fingers tapped along the porcelain of his mug before he turned and looked down at her. “Hey.”

Raven hummed but didn’t look up at him, the screwdriver hanging between her teeth as her hands felt around the bearing in the joint for any other issues. Victor took that as an indication to continue, but he took another long drink of coffee before speaking again.

“I... um… look, Rae. I know that this whole living with me thing was supposed to be temporary.”

Raven’s hands stilled, but she still didn’t look up yet, and her teeth tightened on the plastic screwdriver handle in her mouth. Her breath was coming in long, heavy gasps and she stared down at the joint, trying to hear his words over the thundering sound of her heart in her chest. Was he kicking her out? Did he not want her around? What in the world did this mean? She swallowed, trying to listen to the rest of his words.

“... but… maybe… it might be nice if you moved in permanently?” He chewed on his lip and looked away, pretending to be reading the clock across the room. “I mean, you’ve already helped me out a ton here, I mean… I couldn’t get my hands into this joint, and having you here is kinda nice. I like not feeling so… _lonely_. I like that my best friend is near me.”

_Best friend?_

Raven winced a little, hoping he couldn’t see the sudden hurt in her face. Best friend. Right. They’d been best friends for years. Just best friends. Nothing more than best friends. She took a slow, deep breath and held onto those feelings of camaraderie, trying to remember that he would always be her friend first and foremost, and that was important to her. Even if he never returned her feelings, she would always have his friendship, and that’s what mattered most. She took the screwdriver out of her mouth, and with a slow, careful nod, she agreed to him.

“T-thanks, Vic. I appreciate it.”

Raven turned to look up at him, moving away from his leg to see him inching closer to her, likely to press one of his many, innocent kisses to the top of her head. But the angle between them was all wrong, and before Raven knew what was happening, it was already too late to stop it.

She moved.

He moved.

Their lips touched.

And Raven, her head suddenly a veritable mess of unnamable emotions, had only one thought: _oh, fuck._


	3. Chapter 3

Victor chose _not_ to talk about what had happened this morning. In fact, he tried to stay as far away from the subject as humanly possible. When Raven pulled away, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were wide, and she was completely unable to talk. He felt the same way, but neither of them really wanted to mention just what happened or even explore it. And, he assumed that she just thought the whole situation was weird anyway. So, all Victor could really do was quickly apologize, stumbling over his words as he watched Raven’s face grow more and more distraught with each “I’m sorry” and “that was an accident”. It was as if she was… _upset_.

But, of course she was upset! He’d just kissed his friend! He couldn’t blame her for being angry or distraught over what happened! Here he was, bringing her home, undressing her out of her coveralls, and then he _kissed_ her? Jeez, he must have looked like he was trying to completely upend their friendship after all this time. He wasn’t really. At least not consciously. Maybe subconsciously… _maybe_ … _What if he was trying to subconsciously upend their friendship because he liked her?!_

What if all this time, his mind was finally trying to make them get together?! And of course Raven didn’t want it! She’d been his friend for far too long to get caught up in romantic entanglements! It was stupid for him to even think about liking her! He needed to find a way to _really_ apologize and let her know that it was an accident and would never happen again. But how? And, did he really want to think about not kissing her ever again? He wasn’t sure.

This was a damned _mess_.

Victor bit back a groan and looked over at Raven, sitting next to him as she let her hand hang out the window of his Cadillac. Her eyes had a far-off look to them, as if her mind was racing over scenarios in her head, but not quite focusing on any one in particular. She sighed a bit and rested her chin on the door, watching the trees race by as they drove along the back roads, still letting her head be anywhere else but in the car with them.

He shifted a little in the driver’s seat, trying to think about something other than how pretty she looked with the wind whipping at her hair and the thin light shining down on her through cracks in the clouds. He tried not to think about that little, black tattoo that peeked out between the hem of her top and the waistband of her jeans. He tried not to think about the fact that she was wearing strawberry-flavored lip gloss. And he really, _really_ tried not to think about what that lips gloss would taste like if he ever kissed her again. Or how soft her body might be if he ever had the opportunity to touch her… or undress her again…

He really needed to not think about all of that, and instead he tried to focus on the road.  

It was an impossibly hard task.

“She’s running better after the tune up you gave her.”

He jerked and looked over at Raven, her eyes not meeting his as she settled back into the white interior. He could feel her trying to address the tension without really calling attention to what had happened, and something inside him felt heavy and frustrated. He _wanted_ to lay it all on the table and just take the whole situation for what it was, but he wanted to keep Raven as a friend far more, so he knew better than to jeapordize their relationship with _this_.

“Yeah… she’s… working out well. All thanks to you too, Rae. You helped me get her back into shape you know.” He offered her a reassuring smile before looking back at the road. “I don’t think I could have done it by myself.”

She gave him a thin smile. “Thank you.”

The silence between them turned heavy again and Victor tried to think of any other thing he could do to keep the conversation moving. He shuffled just a little, his eyes glancing over at her and he offered a small, pathetic smile. “Sometime soon we’re gonna have to fix the radio though… I think all this silence might be bad for our health.”

Raven cracked another tiny smile. “It doesn’t help that it’s a pretty long drive out to this show.”

Victor shrugged, feeling relieved that they were talking again. “I like taking the back roads. It’s a nicer drive… and the Caddy won’t grunt and groan the whole way there, which is nice. She’s too old to be barreling down the highway just yet.”

They turned a sharp corner and the trees broke to reveal a small field filled with a plethora of wildflowers, and Victor watched that small, bright smile spread across Raven’s lips as a look of wonder flooded her stare. Something in his chest seemed to warm up and he felt as though everything seemed to click together. Watching Raven smile shouldn’t have made him feel like this, like his heart was sort of sputtering along in his chest not quite sure if it wanted to rev up to full speed yet. It felt almost like he was kind of sick and feverish, and his stomach clenched as he watched her lean out of the window again, trying to get a better look.

She was happy, and that made him happy, and he wanted to hold onto that feeling forever.

“It is a nice drive… I’ll give you that at least.” She pulled back into the car, her hair windblown over her face and grinned at him. “Thanks for driving.”

“Thanks for coming.” His hands clutched the steering wheel again, keeping his eyes on the road and trying not to focus on the way she was making him feel - like some kind of giddy little child. Taking a slow breath, he started again. “I know I kinda pulled you into this without really asking first, but I wanted to let you know that I’m glad you came… and I’m sure Kori is excited to see you too you know.”

“I know. She’s a sweetheart, even if she can be… rather _excitable_ sometimes.” She smirked. “And you still owe me waffles, you know.”

“I know.” He held up one hand and laughed. “Scout’s honor, I will make you waffles before the end of the weekend. _Promise_.”

“I’m holding you to that.” There was a brief pause and Raven pitched forward a little to look out the windscreen, chewing on her lower lip. “It’s getting really, _really_ dark out there. Does it look like it’s going to-”

The heavens opened up and the rain poured down in buckets.

“- _rain_.” Raven winced and she lurched for the crank for the window, quickly rolling it up.

Victor pulled over to the side of the road and cranked up the rest of the windows quickly, barely making it back inside the car before another wave of rain slammed across the car. Gasping for breath and wiping water off his limbs, he sat behind the wheel of the car and looked over at Raven, her hair a little damp and a smile across her lips.

There was a moment suspended in time before she began to chuckle, another smile escaping as she pushed at her hair. Her laughter was infectious and Victor began to laugh with her, looking over at her as they both realized how ridiculous the situation was. For a moment, it almost felt like everything was back to normal. That even though their little kiss this morning had potentially upended their relationship, it was forgotten in the normalcy of their friendship, and that made him feel as though everything was going to be okay.

He wiped at his eyes, and looked down at Raven, who was still giggling softly behind her hand. “What’s so funny?”

“You have a leaf stuck to your head.” Raven pressed her lips together and shook her head, another chuckle breaking free. “Come here, and let me get it for you.”

She leaned forward, crawling over the bench to him, and peeled the green leaf from the top of his head with a teasing little chuckle. Victor looked up into her face and he suddenly felt as though this big Cadillac was not large enough. Her deep blue eyes met his own, and he could smell the scent of rain and her shampoo clinging to her skin. He could catch the whif of her strawberry lip gloss and see the faint outline of her bra against her wet t-shirt. He could feel her warmth and sincerity practically running over him like the rainwater had, and through all of that he came to a very startling conclusion:

He wanted to kiss her again.

He wanted to pull her into his lap and kiss her over and over and over until it felt like the only things in this world were the two of them, the rain, and their Caddy. Nothing else mattered but just that. He wanted to feel her small, petite body in his arms as he pulled the wet t-shirt from her body and pressed little, soft kisses to the swell of her breasts and down her stomach. He wanted to see that fire in her eyes as her hands pulled at his own t-shirt, trying to get closer to him and remove every barrier that could have existed between them.

He wanted everything she could offer him.

But, Raven just offered a weak, broken smile, and she sat back down on the passenger side. Chewing on her lower lip, she fidgeted with the leaf in her hand and stared ahead at the endless downpour of rain, slamming against the windscreen. A few seconds skipped by in silence before she finally muttered, “I hope this rain lets up.”

“Y-yeah.” He cleared his throat and stared ahead. “Me too.”

Raven just hummed under her breath and let the leaf fall to the floor. “Well, I guess we’re stuck here for a while.”

“Yeah…”

“The radio would be nice.”

Victor felt his lips turn up into a teasing smile and he looked over at her, feeling that little sputter in his heart suddenly rev up to its highest speed. Raven just smirked, her cheeks flushed and her hair everywhere, as her wet t-shirt clung to her body like a second skin. She was gorgeous, he knew that, and he wanted nothing more than to have her in his life in any way possible.

Chuckling, he nudged her shoulder. “Everyone’s a critic.”

**Author's Note:**

> I know precisely six facts about car engines, so some of these facts are going be a little bit fudged. Please put up with me as I try to make things work. 
> 
> Also, this may (read: probably) change in rating when I cross that bridge. Thanks for being awesome.


End file.
